Lesson No.1

Proudly functioning without a fucking MySpace account since 2004

Tuesday, December 18

DO NOT IGNORE THE POTENTIAL

Self-congratulatory backslapping ahoy: from the moment David Yow threw his mic stand into the crowd and demanded everyone took several steps back (then picked it up and beckoned them all forward again) how fucking awesome were Qui? Very, that's how. Best Lesson No.1 gig ever? Maybe.

But the internets (copyright Mr H Rollins) doesn't shut down for Christmas, so time for a bulletin on our next gig that won't be, MySpace-stylee, sent at you every day, twice, all in upper case and with spelling that makes your eyes feel like they've been jabbed with pointy razorblades.

Our first show of 2008, the next episode of fun-based noise (and vice versa) is on Monday 21 January and will go a little something like this...

The Mae Shi playfully throw out hyperactive avant-rock/post-hardcore influenced by everything in the world. They once released a mixtape with 1200 songs on it. From California and signed to the Moshi Moshi label in the UK, their new rekkid, 'HLLLYH', is due around the date of this show and, for the label in question, is fairly out of left field. So don't be put off. Previous releases, on imprints like 5 Rue Christine, Strictly Amateur Films and Narshaada, include a quite awesome split LP with Racebannon's 'other' band, Rapider Than Horsepower. For snatches of 'HLLLYH' and whole lot more get listening right here.

King Alexander are a Cardiffian two man/one lady jamboree of excitement and spiky guitars. Ex-Shooting At Unarmed Men, International Karate Plus and Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi (although a different member of the latter two bands than previously detailed below in Heck, fact fans), plus you may have seen frontlady Laura performing solo as Le B. New material soon; for now ears can be rewarded this way.

Right Hand Left Hand are a tasty new Cardiff-based side dish featuring two members of Vito (and by extension several other bands, thanks mainly to Rhodri ‘Broken Leaf’ Viney featuring). Squirreled away "experimenting with loops and random instrument swaps" for some months now, this is scheduled to be their second ever show, cruising the instrumental autobahn a la Trans Am with spacey post-rock bits. Get clicking for their first brace of tunes.

Where is this all happening? Buffalo, Windsor Place, Cardiff. What time? 8pm. How much of your hard earned will it set you back? £5, yo. Most jobs pay more than that in an hour, right?

Monday, December 3

STRAP ON YOUR KNEE PADS

It's almost Christmas party season. There's no good gigs to be attend until 2008, right? WRONG. David Yow and his new troops have the proof next week, Friday 14 December to be exact.

Qui are a trio from Los Angeles, California who have been festering away since 2000, foisting stripped ’n’ damaged noise-punk on a small but appreciative audience. Until last year they were a duo, whereupon something magical happened: David Yow, man of legend thanks to his time in the bands Scratch Acid and The Jesus Lizard, joined as frontman and made them a trio. This is, in noisy rock terms, somewhere approaching Zinedine Zidane joining your Sunday league team, and got Qui a host of attention, much like ZZ would. Recently released on Ipecac, the second Qui album ‘Love’s Miracle’ is an ugly molesting of the blues that harks back to TJL in the best way. Don’t miss this like a clown. Get busy for tunes and a blog that tells it like it is.

Space In The 50s are two-thirds of The Martini Henry Rifles with a fella called Marv hitting some drums, soon to be recognised as greater than the sum of their past experiences. They're still a wholly rocking and messy affair, with the influence of 5,000 noisy punk combos from the last 25 years making themselves apparent. Audio for y'all.

Heck have formerly done time in Sammo Hung, Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi, Shooting At Unarmed Men and some others along the way. Having been teething since the start of the year they're now a big bouncing baby, not a tiny purple ratty one. They have the angular tuffness of Wire or Mission Of Burma, mixed with the new wave popness of Blondie. Evidence right about here.

The vital nitty gritty: it's an early show, so get down to Clwb Ifor Bach, Womanby Street, Cardiff from 7.30pm (we were a little optimistic about timings when the poster was conceived) and expect things to be fairly brisk in running; Qui should be on around 8.45pm we think. Tickets, which are a bargain-tastic £7 in advance, can be snaffled this way. Rocking.